


The Jade Hawk

by aerynx



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Thor: Ragnarok - Fandom, infinity war - Fandom
Genre: Bisexual Steve Rogers, But Really Just Ned's Excuse, Death Star, F/M, Hacking, M/M, Multi, Porn Watching, Protective Steve Rogers, Senpai I did it for you, Spider-Man: Homecoming Spoilers, Spoilers, Teacher Steve Rogers, Thor Ragnarok Spoilers After Chapter 8, Tony Stark Has A Heart
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-09
Updated: 2018-05-03
Packaged: 2018-10-01 03:25:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 16,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10179593
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aerynx/pseuds/aerynx
Summary: Bella Lancaster wakes up on Earth 1, in the Marvel Universe where she has to begin school in Queens, New York. She and her alien-robotic watch which she nicknames Clara, have to face the troubles of different villains in New York City. Bella knows all of the superheroes and usual villains until she realizes that with her coming into the universe, she'll have original villains that plot against her. Amidst the troubles, her and a geeky Peter Parker spark something new. She knows he's Spider-Man, but what will he think about her being the Jade Hawk? (This is placed after Civil War, and during Spider-Man: Homecoming)





	1. Queens is a Long Way from Hershey, Pennsylvania

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bella Lancaster sits at her bay window, staring at the thundering clouds of the small city. But when purple lightning strikes right in front of her eyes, she wakes up in the Marvel universe with a talking watch on her hand, and a new day of school ahead of her. She meets Peter Parker who she immediately falls in love with, embarrassed that she was new and knew his Spider-Man secret without him.

Thunderstorms were rare weather that Pennsylvanians dreaded. At least, to everyone but me. The dark weather was peaceful, and we had to stay indoors which meant I was able to read and listen to the pitter-patter of the rain on the window. The slate grey sky and howling wind shook the suburban houses as sheets of rain pelted rooftops. But this thunderstorm seemed different from the past ones; high-powered winds that rattled houses and battered the little trees they had in the neighborhood.

  
I peered out through the white bay window that I always did on thunderstorm days, rain blurring the vision outside. It seemed like a normal thunderstorm, high winds, occasional flashes. But the bright flashes weren’t white or yellow, they were in fact bright neon purple. That worried me, but my parents were too busy worrying about the falling branches from the strong hitting wind to notice that the purple flashes of lightning were not normal.

  
I couldn’t say anything because the thunder was louder than my voice as I tried calling my mom, but every time I spoke, thunder would get to it first. “Mom!” I tried calling, but the large thunder got to my mom first. “Fine,” I muttered as I laid back on the couch, my head hitting the pillow. I didn’t mean to sleep, because I was on my phone checking messages and texts when another large flash of violet lightning struck right outside my window and left me in pitch black darkness, falling, falling, falling…  
~ ~ ~ ~  
I quickly rose from the couch I thought I had fallen asleep on, but squinting my eyes through the bright white sunlight, I looked around the small, unfamiliar bedroom around me. The bed was smaller than my normal bed, but longer than the original. It was placed against a wall, to the right of me, a windowsill with a few succulents perched on top, and a view to apartments and city buildings outside. I had never lived in the city before, and the new room wake up scared me, causing me to jump out of bed abruptly and get a better understanding of my surroundings. “Why am I here?” I muttered softly, looking down at the superhero tank top and pajama pants I was wearing.

  
Suddenly a voice called out of the blue, making me jump a foot in the air. “Good morning, Bella. I believe that it is time for you to get dressed and make your way to the kitchen. Your parents are waiting.” That familiar voice. I knew that voice, the smooth British female voice stirred in my memories. “Clara Oswald?” I breathed. “Yes, that is the setting that you would like me to speak as. I can also speak like,” the voice transitioned to a deep British male, “Benedict Cumberbatch,” the voice transitioned again to an American male voice, “Tony Stark,” but before it could transition again, I interrupted the voice and said, “Alright, Alright. I think Clara is good enough. But where are you coming from?”

  
I scanned the room, for some sort of speaker, as if I was in a jail or trapped in some alien room. “Your watch. I am projected to your brain as a thought, but I can also project for all to hear.” I glanced at my left hand, turning it around, where I thought the watch would be. “Other wrist,” the voice corrected my actions, and I looked to my right wrist and gasped. The thing around my wrist certainly looked like a watch, but a very very large watch with a symbol on top. I wanted to take it off, but the robot interrupted me.  
“You cannot take me off. Sorry, but you have not fulfilled your destiny yet.” I frowned, trying to look for a latch that I could take off, but there was nothing. It was stuck to my wrist, and I could move my wrist apart from the watch, it was like it was a part of my body. The watch, responding to my thoughts, sang, “I am attached to you through a small needle. When you transform into someone else, I inject the different serum into your bloodstream.” Widening my eyes, I furrowed my brows and tried to yank the watch off. No go.

  
“I’ll explain the transformation part later. For now, get dressed, or you’ll be late. Hurry up!” I sighed and began to make my bed, ignoring everything else that the watch was telling me. It seemed like a Ben 10 watch, making its own decisions and telling me what to do. “A watch telling me what to do,” I muttered. There was only one door that lead to the exit, but I had to get dressed first, so I opened the dresser that was behind the bed. Before I could pull out a worn t-shirt, I was again interrupted by the watch, with a cocky tone. “It’s your first day of school. Wear something nice for God’s sake!”

  
I frowned, because it wasn’t my first day of school, I had been in the middle of the school year, in fact. I listened to the watch voice, and closed the dresser, turning my attention to the mint green cabinet that was bolted into the wall at the foot of my bed. It wasn’t sticking out, so I crawled on the bed without having to bump into anything before pulling open the closet door. The closet was pretty deep, with revolving hangars showing me the choices of dresses. They were all beautiful, short dresses. I was short, 5’ 4”, for a 15 year old girl. Multicolored dresses of all shapes and materials surprised me.

  
After going through the dresses at least twice, I found a really pretty teal tea dress that I adored, but I thought that it was too pretty to wear on the first day of school. It had beautiful purple and green butterflies that were meticulously placed around the dress. Instead, I chose a white tank top, comfy maroon sweater with a few gold beads along the collar and shoulder. I had white washed jeans, black and white vans, and looked to the small desk that was next to the built-in closet. “Your backpack is on the chair. I believe that you’re ready for school after you brush your teeth and eat breakfast.” I threw the backpack over my shoulder and headed out to the bathroom, attempting to make the most of my new life.

Across from my room was the bathroom, the white door closed. I turned the knob and entered the dark room, seating my backpack on the lid of the toilet. I groped the shadowed walls for a switch until I reached a switch and the light illuminated the room. It was a white, sterile bathroom. According to my deductions from the sink counter, I had a sibling of some sort, because of two toothbrushes on the counter, one on each side. The only colored things were the mouthwash, the toothbrushes, and the toothpaste. Clara, the watch, which I decided to name, pointed out that the left side was designated for me, with the makeup. I looked in the mirror to find myself a little different. I was a little skinnier, and my body felt more tense like I had grown more muscles overnight, and my complexion was clearer. My eyebrows were corrected, the arch finely filled in with actual hair instead of having to repeatedly fill them in. I was much prettier than I was in my original life.

  
I brushed my dark wavy hair over, leaving it down over my shoulders and headed to the end of the hallway that revealed a living room, a dining room, and a small kitchen. My ‘parents’ were seated at the table, completely unfamiliar to my original parents. “Good morning,” I shyly said, dropping my backpack to the floor in front of the dining room table.  
“Morning, sweetheart,” Mom said, standing at the kitchen stove, cooking eggs. The white and yellow liquid sizzled on the oiled pan, the smell of eggs wafting in the apartment. “I know you don’t like eggs,” she began, as she stirred the eggs in the pan, “So, there are protein shakes in the fridge for you.” I smiled. “Thank you!” I said, giving a fake smile to my mom who just waved her spatula at me. “Your dad is going to take you to school, then I have to drop Evan off to his elementary. We might be staying late at Oscorp tonight, so can you pick him up?” I widened my eyes and thought for a moment. Clara came up and eased my situation.

  
“I can project the map onto your visual cortex, or you can always use your phone. It’s in your backpack.” I sighed and responded to mom, “Yeah, sure. Just text me the location, please.” I walked to the fridge nonchalantly and turned my head to the dining room table where my dad was reading something on his iPad, his reading glasses pushed high up his nose. He had a receding hairline, and resembled a little bit like that main actor in Skyfall. He had a large nose, and wrinkles on his mouth, dimples and a squinting look.

  
I grabbed a white bottle out of the fridge door and walked to the dining room table and unzippered the white and black pack. On top was the red phone that I had been glad that I had, it was practically my baby. Clara called out, “It has everything that you had on Earth 0, pictures, music, apps, and I also added the Amazon Prime so you could watch the movies. I believe you know what I am talking about. Marvel movies.” I smiled and nodded my head silently, turning on the phone’s lock screen. “Allons-y, Bella. We’ve got to go now.”


	2. Pigs are Officially Flying

I nearly gawked, because the girl I knew to be the character Michele Gonzales, played by Zendaya, a partly famous actress. “Yes. That is Michele Gonzales. You are correct. But, you are also going to be late if you don’t hurry up. I will give you directions to your first class: chemistry.” Clara ordered me to walk inside and hurry up. An ear-piercing scream of the bell warned us that we had five minutes to get to class, or homeroom for the first fifteen minutes. Taking the directions of, “Turn left. No! Your other left!” were very, very helpful. I mean not at all.

  
I got to the class and sat in one of the middle chemistry tables, the edge seat where I could perhaps get to the door the fastest than anyone else. I looked around, and only six students scattered the tables. In a few minutes, students began to pile in like a leaky sink, one by one entering class. The teacher was not here yet, and no one sat at the same table with me. I felt a little lonely, and put my phone on the desk, continuing to listen to music, preferably at the moment, “Time to Pretend,” by MGMT and removed the blue notebook that was labeled Chemistry. I began to write the date with a pencil that I took out of my backpack, right as the door opened, my mechanical pencil snapped the piece of lead. Maybe it was the teacher.

  
I looked to the door where an out of breath brunette boy in a grey sweater entered the classroom, his hair parted to the side, but not gelled up so it flung over his forehead just slightly. No way. I thought, dropping my pencil and I quickly turned away so that the boy wouldn’t see me blush. It was Peter Parker, the one and only Peter Parker. I dug my nails into my palm to see if it was a dream, but it felt very real.

  
“Hey, uh, can I sit here?” Peter asked, his signature stammering to people he didn’t know very well. I looked to him again and nodded, running a hand through my hair. “I’m new here. It’s my first day,” I said, looking to him with a small smile. I didn’t want to freak out or look like a dumb girl, so I just smiled, looked down to my phone and paused the music, taking out the headphones from my ears and I stuffed them in my jeans. “I’m Bella. Nice to meet you-” “Peter. I-I'm Peter.” I smiled, because I didn’t want to seem weird.  
“Good morning class! I believe that we have a new student on the roster, and I am proud to say that she joined our advanced chemistry class! Please welcome Isabella Lancaster to Queen's, students!” The teacher walked into the class right as the late bell rang, and stood in front of the class. I kicked my backpack under the table as I stood up for a moment. “Hi,” I said sheepishly, looking to the teacher and sat back down. The teacher was the stereotypical middle-aged female teacher. She wore a long grey plaid, looking like a wool skirt, with a light pink polo, and grey blazer to match the skirt.

  
“Thank you,” she responded, and began the class. I took notes at the speed of sound, scribbling down as many facts as I could while she lectured. Looking to Peter every once in awhile, I could see that he was more interested in looking at pictures and videos of the famous “Spider-Man” in action. It seemed like he had done it more than once, because the teacher stopped her lecture and called out, “Peter, again? Please focus.” She looked to me and I came up with the first thing in my head.

  
“Miss, he’s only typing the notes down on a document. I think he was scanning them to see if they were correct or not.” She began to walk over and he pulled up another document just in time as she stepped up to the table. I pulled the most serious face I could muster, and I guess that and Peter’s fast note-taking saved our asses. Peter turned to me as the teacher walked away and whispered, “Thanks, I owe you one.” He gave his sweet smile and his eyes crinkled when he smiled. I smiled back, and said, “You don’t owe me anything.”

  
I hoped that the rest of the day wouldn’t be too bad, considering that when I compared schedules with Peter, I had almost every class with him. He was eager that I shared a lot of his classes, practically every one. As we walked in the hallway to our next class, Peter yelled out from the bustle of the students crowding the hallway. “I can show you around today if you want! Sit next to me at lunch and you can meet my friend, Ned!” I raised my eyebrows and nodded. It sounded like a fun day, I hoped.


	3. The Questions Eating At Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I sit at lunch with Ned and Peter, and eat lunch with them. But I'm pestered with questions about me and the watch that i'm wearing.

Lunch time rolled around faster than I had expected, with Peter helping me through the hallways most of the time. I didn’t necessarily need his help, with Clara already giving me cues and directions through strange parts of the day. I had a lunch bag in my backpack, confused on where it came from. “Your mom snuck it into your backpack this morning before you woke up,” Clara explained. I just slightly nodded and trailed behind Peter while we walked to the large lunchroom. It was fairly big, with many lines of food and groups of people. I could tell many of the cliques out, the losers, who I was currently hanging out with but honestly didn’t mind.

  
There were the cool kids, because I could spot Flash and his gang of abnormally muscular friends with very pudgy faces. Why he would hang out with them is beyond me, I thought. “So,” Peter began, as we sat down next to each other. “I point out my friend Ned to you. He’s a great guy. He might be a little shy, but I think that he’ll like you.” I nodded and I opened my lunch bag, peering into the insulated bag. I had the normal stuff, a BLT on wheat, chips, an apple, a brownie and coconut water. A small hand sanitizer accompanied the lunch, and I vigorously rubbed my hands together with the liquid.

  
“Sorry,” I said, Peter engulfed in the school lunch, which happened to be pizza today. “Mphf?” He asked, confused as he was chewing a large bite of his pizza. “I’m a bit of a germaphobe. With the hand sanitizer.” He nodded, and swallowed, shaking his head and flipping a small piece of hair that was in his face. “It’s okay, my Aunt May is a bit of a germaphobe too. She’s a nurse.” I nodded, and bit into my sandwich. His hair flip was kind of cute, I thought. Peter interrupted my thoughts when he yelled, “Hey, uh, Ned! Over here!” I nearly jumped out of my seat when he abruptly started yelling to a large boy that held his lunch tray and darted his eyes around.

  
He was slightly round, and his joyful look when he saw Peter made me smile. Now that’s a true friend. Ned was shy, like Peter, but in front of me, he stammered a lot. “H-hi. You’re new h-here?” I grinned and nodded. He sat down across from me, close to spilling his tray because his hands were shaking. “I’m guessing you’re Ned?” He shakily nodded, and refused to maintain eye contact, except when I looked away. Down a few seats was Michele, who was reading a book while she chowed down on a slice of pizza. Her frizzy and unkempt hair was still pulled into a messy ponytail. She really was obsessed about schoolwork.

  
I looked around for a certain redhead that I knew would be considered Mary Jane, but I did not have such luck, after all Mary Jane was not going to be found in the Marvel Universe just yet. Clara almost made me jump, interrupting my thoughts with, “Oi! You realize that Ned and Peter already like you, right?” Well I hope they can be my friends. I bet I’m probably giving the timeline a whole makeover with my being here. I finished my lunch, overhearing different conversations around the cafeteria from different tables. My hearing was improving, but so were the many voices around me. Suddenly, I heard my name being called from close range.

  
“Bella!” I heard, and snapped towards the boy next to me. Peter was trying ask me a question. “Sorry, I spaced out for a second. What did you say?” I looked to the chocolate-eyed boy who gave a small smile, just a hint of a smile like that tiny hint of mint that you could taste in a dessert. “What do you like to do? Hobbies, you never told me.” I perked up, hobbies. I was a jack-of-all-trades. I liked drawing, my main hobby, but I also played many different instruments, and loved comic books. But that was back on the old Earth.

  
“Well,” I began, running a hand through my thick hair, “I like to read comic books, and listen to music. I also like drawing.” Ned looked to me, his eyes ignited, a wildfire in his warm brown eyes. “We’re the comic book geeks here. I-I think I know why Peter l-likes you.” I glanced towards Peter out of the corner of my eye, to see his face as red as a tomato. My face grew red too, but I tried to play it cool. “D-Do you like superhero comics?” I asked nervously, with the most innocent smile I could muster. Ned’s mouth widened into a cheeky grin. “Yeah,” he said as he took another bite of his food. “We’re big Iron Man fans.” He gulped and continued to devour the rest of his food.

  
“Spider-Man too,” Peter added quickly, as he stared at his empty plate. I could tell he was still hungry, because all American school lunches were small portioned. I wasn’t very hungry after my sandwich, so I grabbed my bar and handed it to him. “I’m not hungry,” I offered. “O-Oh. Thanks,” He said taking the bar shyly. One minute he’s fine, the next he’s super shy. What’s up with that? I expected a snarky answer from Clara, but I was fortunate that she stayed silent. Ned looked to me as I pulled out my phone and silently eyed the watch on my right wrist. The watch that Clara was connected to.

  
“Cool watch,” he said, looking at it with curiosity. “I’ve never seen a large watch like that before. Does it tell time?” Oh crap, I thought. I couldn’t hide it, because it’d stir some suspicion. “My friend gave it to me before I moved here. She knew I’d like this color.” I looked to the teal watch that had a thin bird-like symbol on the front. “There’s a small latch there on the bottom of the insignia. Yeah. Click it, and it’ll show the watch face. Don’t worry, it won’t show anything else,” Clara said quickly. Anything else? I thought. “Just press it for God’s sake!” I looked to Ned and down to the watch.

  
“It opens like this.” I pressed the small button that was sticking out from the tail of the bird symbol. The entire front popped open and flew back, where it showed a circular watch ticking away. “Cool!” Ned smiled, and cocked his head to try and read the watch. “Woah,” Peter gaped at the watch with wide eyes. I smiled. “Say something,” Clara instructed. “Uh, my friend made this. I made a few tweaks to it, including the flapping open part, but she did the design and everything else.” Ned nodded, extremely interested in in the watch. Peter wasn’t sure he believed this, but maybe he was jealous. Nice lie, Bella. Great way to start off a friendship, I thought. I hoped he was jealous, and nothing more.


	4. Gym Class Bleachers

Soon enough, lunch had ended and Peter and I headed to the gym, where the teacher took everyone outside to do laps. I wasn’t fit to run in jeans, and I didn’t have any gym clothes with me. The teacher let me off for the day, but made the students run as fast as their lazy bodies could muster while I sat off to the side and took turns watching Marvel videos and watching everybody sweat. Well, everyone but Peter.  
Peter hadn’t broken a sweat, even after 5 laps while everyone else was sweating and complaining. “Come on Parker! Push it! You’re not sweating, I don’t see effort!” Mr. Langston urged Peter to run faster. His inhuman skills were very strong and had high stamina. He lapped the cross country track for what I counted to be 20 when he started to sweat. Everyone else was walking on the track, t-shirts drenched in sweat and side stickers on both their sides. Peter stopped after 36 laps, sweating for real, while everyone had collapsed after 23. He sat down next to me, in his gym shorts and black t-shirt with a water bottle in his hand.  
He. Was. Ripped. His toned arms were glistening with sweat in the sun, and every time he bent over to wipe his forehead with the bottom of his shirt, his abs showed. I wanted to swoon, but I wasn’t going to be a fangirl in his presence. I laughed. “Nice job out there, Peter! I didn’t take it that you were a sporty guy.” I lightly elbowed him, as he chuckled.  
He wiped his forehead and responded, “I’m not too into sports. I-I don’t work out too much either.” I snarkily responded, “Well, it’s not the comic books that give you the muscle, hm?” He laughed even harder and averted his eyes from my glance. He ruffled his hair and I swear I almost got a nosebleed. But a loud voice interrupted our little moment, which I was glad, since I almost clicked on one of the Iron Man movies to start playing.  
“Parker! You’ve been holding out on me all this time! It’s not too late to join the football team yet.” The teacher praised Peter for his outstanding athletic performance, while Peter didn’t want to be acknowledged for his sport record. So, he came up with an excuse. “T-thanks Coach, but I think it might interfere with my science club meetings. Bella insisted that I join her in the chemistry help.” He emphasized “insisted”. I frowned and looked up to Peter who had his hand on my shoulder. I couldn’t just leave Peter like that, so I just rambled on and backed him up on his excuse.  
“Yeah. I wanted to make sure he wasn’t falling back on any classwork,” I said. The teacher looked to Peter with a disappointed look, and sighed. “Well,” he started, glancing to the football field with dismay, “I can’t let you on the team if you’re failing any classes, school policy. Maybe next year, Parker.”  
Peter ran up the bleachers to get his backpack while I stood by the exit, waiting for him. “Sorry. I-I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that. I’m really sorry.” We exchanged glances, and I smiled, shaking my head. “It’s fine. I know you don’t like sports, and that’s okay. You can always tell him the truth, though.” He just nodded and headed into the guy’s locker room without saying anything.  
I walked away, back into the school hallways, abandoning him. “See you at class then,” I muttered, and walked to the next class with the help of Clara’s instructions.I walked away, back into the school hallways, abandoning him. “See you at class then,” I muttered, and walked to the next class with the help of Clara’s instructions. The end of the day seemed rewarding; minimal homework, the only responsibility being to pick Evan from daycare. The last class I had was Music, something that I was good at. Peter chose his major to be Technology Design, but I didn’t want to switch. The class was a little larger than the normal classroom, no desks, just black chairs littering the room. Many of the black chairs surrounded a large black grand piano. A desk sat in a corner, which I ignored because it was probably the teacher’s desk. The teacher was probably on hall duty, making their way to the class. Only one other student sat in one of the empty chairs, more grossed in his phone than the surroundings. The grand piano called to me, a tempting time to play the piano. The sleek black glossy cover beckoned for me to play it. I dropped my bag to the side and sat in the leather bench. It felt like I was the only one in the universe, just me and that black piano. I didn’t know what to sing, so I began to sing the one song that I knew. “Lept without looking, and tumbled into the seine.” I began to play the piano softly and sang softly. “Here’s to the one’s who dream, foolish as they may seem. Here’s to the hearts that ache, here’s to the mess we made.” The song continued along, me making a few mistakes here and there, but my voice was flawless. I didn’t sing like that before, my voice was strange, but here it was smooth like a flowing river. I began to grow louder with every line that I completed, and poured my heart and soul into the song. I hoped that no one was watching, but I was so engrossed in the song to care at the moment. “So bring on the rebels, the ripples from pebbles. The painters and poets and plays. Here’s to the fools who dream!” The song roared on, until it slowly died with my voice barely a whisper, and my hands at my sides. People cheered, and I turned to the door.I didn’t know what to do, I had never seen any of these people before, they were all clapping and amazed by my piano and singing skills. “I’m guessing you’re Bella, the new girl, correct?” A blonde popped her head out of the crowd. She wasn’t the teacher, because she looked too young to be the teacher. Platinum blonde bangs covered some of her light eyebrows. Her blue eyes pierced the air, as did her bright smile. I answered her question. “Yes, yeah. I’m Bella. Nice to meet you-” “Gwen. I’m Gwen Stacy. Nice to meet you, Bella.” She giggled, and my eyes widened. Gwen Stacy.


	5. Gwen Stacy

“Do I know you?” She asked, confused from my facial expression. “N-no,” I quickly said, trying to cover up my tracks. I wouldn’t let her know about my knowledge of her and her death. ‘But if Peter would never fall in love with her, she wouldn’t have to die. Or, she could die easily and he wouldn’t have to be so devastated,’ I thought silently. Gwen giggled and she looked into my eyes. “You are quiet, is that your normal thing?” I broke my train of thought and glanced towards her, who sat down adjacent to my backpack.  
“Yeah, I’m kinda quiet,” I laughed and stared at my backpack, before taking out my phone. Apparently, the music teacher who was a big band geek told me that learning music was basically music theory and playing an instrument/vocal practice. Gwen wanted to spark a conversation, interested in me and my being new here.

  
“Have you found any friends here? Or made any new friends?” I smiled at the thought of Peter and Ned, nodding to her question. She beamed, somehow glad that I had made new friends, already caring to a friend. “I had most of my classes with my new friend Peter. And I got to meet his friends Ned, and Michele.” She laughed, as if I said something witty, and put her hand on my knee, looking into my eyes, as if she promised that there was no one else in the room she cared about.

  
“I made friends with two guys; Peter and Ned. They’re really nice, and they share a few of my interests.” Gwen laughed, a genuine scoff at my explanation. She patted my knee, and started to talk again. “I bet you they both like you! They aren’t very social people. They wouldn’t make friends with someone right off the bat!” I cocked my head, confused at her remark.

  
“Well, they were very nice. I helped Peter get out of trouble a few times, but it wasn’t that serious. I’m a nerd myself.” She was being a little rude to me, unlike what I had seen of her. But Gwen saw the slight disgust in my eyes, and quickly apologized for her rude behavior. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean any of it! I just ramble on a little bit, and I usually don’t mean what I say when I do. Peter and Ned are very nice guys, they are very smart too. I think you’d fit in with them very well.” She tried to put a fake smile at the end, but I only nodded and returned the fake smile.

  
“It’s okay,” I said quickly. Trying to change the subject because I was fiddling with my hands since I was bored, Gwen suggested that I play something on the piano. So, I decided to play a different song, a short piano piece by the name of Fantasy in A Minor by Mary Leaf. I played a classical piano piece that required my hands to cross over a lot. It was quite short, but it ended with another round of applause, no matter how many mistakes I had made. The band geeks clapped with sincere admiration as they were working on music theory worksheets, while Gwen smiled and clapped with them. I looked to her and smiled, liking her headband that she wore. I scooted off the piano, and walked to my seat again, commenting, “Nice headband!” She grinned with pride.

  
“I made it the other day. I really like crafting headbands.” I nodded and tried to show some interest while passing the time. “How come you aren’t in art class?” She sighed and dipped her head in defeat. “Well, there are too many students in the art class, so the second best thing is music class, right?” I laughed and nodded. “What songs do you like to listen to?” I asked, seeing what type of music she’s into. I immediately regretted the question that I asked, because she told me that she liked pop songs, like the 90s pop songs. “Walking on Sunshine,” “Shape of You,” and “Party in the USA,” were a few choice songs that she listed. I didn’t mind Shape of You, in fact I was a huge fan of Ed Sheeran’s work. I liked his music, most of his songs, but I wasn’t that fan that wanted autographs or go to many of his concerts.

  
“Oh,” I said, putting a fake smile about her choices. “I like Shape of You, too! I like most of his songs. Like “New Man,” or “Barcelona”! Do you like him, or just that song?” Gwen scrunched her eyebrows together as she tried to think if she liked him or not. I really didn’t care, and the useless conversation lasted the rest of the school day, with Gwen following me around until I told her I wanted to say goodbye to Peter.

  
She didn’t seem offended, she just waved bye to me and walked out of the school trying to find other girls that she had befriended. ‘Thank God she left,’ I thought, sighing and staying on the wall of the hallway as hundreds of students began to pour out of the school. The entire hallway packed to the brim, full of students’ conversations about what they were going to do after school. I tried finding Peter or Ned, looking at the tops of their heads through the crowd, but I wasn’t able to pick out any of them.

  
‘Ugh,’ I thought. I held my phone in one hand, and held a backpack strap in the other as I made my way into the traffic and walked out. “Alright,” Clara began, her peppy voice scaring me. I don’t think I could ever get used to her voice in my head. “I heard that,” she said, a little upset. ‘Where do we go now?’ “To the primary school. It is quite elementary to get there.” Her, and her puns. I shook my head, silently laughing. I brushed my hand through my hair and hurried down the steps, taking directions from Clara as if she was Siri, giving me directions in New York City.

  
‘Well,’ I thought, ‘I just need to pick up Evan and then I can relax at home.’ I heard Clara laugh, responding snarkily to my thought. “You’re a long way from home, Toto. You need to start your training tonight. I won’t let you forget it.” I aspirated again, and hunched over. “Fine,” I muttered. I kept walking through the afternoon bustle with the training on my mind, and if I was going to meet Spider-Man on the way of the lookout in Queens.  
“Perhaps you’ll meet him. I’d like you to fly over to the Avengers building tonight, though. You’ll have a better view from there.” ‘Fly?!?’


	6. Let's Play 20 Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Watch out for a little Thor: Ragnarok spoiler!

“You heard me, fly.” Clara gave a light-hearted laugh and I swear that if she had a face, she’d be smirking. I frowned, utterly confused. I began to walk even faster, a brisk walk with my phone in my hand, and my backpack still on my back. My footsteps began to be uneven until I stopped and reached my destination. I wasn’t out of breath, like I thought I would be, but instead I was only a little hotter than I was before. ‘Hm.’ Car honks and noise traffic filled my ears as I made my way towards the door of the small school. I waited about an hour for Evan to get out of school, because I forgot that I had gotten out an hour earlier than him.

  
So, I watched a movie on my phone as I sat on one of the marble school steps, entranced by Captain America: Civil War. Spider-Man skillfully and quickly webbing Cap’s hands together while also managing to take his large Vibranium shield and make a fool out of Cap was my favorite scene. As soon as Spidey had said, “Hey everyone,” the piercing shrill of the school bell sounded and I tumbled down the steps. ‘Shit’, I thought. I don’t normally curse unless I trip, stub my toe, or get a large injury of some sort. This was one of those times. My head ached, brain throbbing and my face scrunched up in pain. “Hey hey! Language!” Clara chastised me for silently cursing, much like Captain America’s taboo against cursing. ‘Great, another Captain America,’ I thought.

  
I was suddenly tackled by a small being, engulfed by a hug. Evan, my younger brother who I was supposed to know, hugged me and shoved my belongings into my face. Don’t you love a faceful of fabric? “Here ya’ go!” He said, giving me a toothy grin. I couldn’t blame him, he was too cute for someone that I was supposedly related to. I would have to get used to this, I guess.

  
The evening came soon enough, highly anticipated on my part. Clara told me the news while I fed my brother dinner. As I set the plate of home cooked rice, peas, carrots, and meat that I had prepared thanks to a recipe on my phone. Clara interrupted my thoughts as Evan began to dig in.  
“Your parents are scheduled to arrived at 8 o’clock. Your nightwatch starts as soon as you get them to stay out of your room. ‘Nightwatch?’ I nearly dropped Evan’s plate, but luckily I reaffirmed my hands to hold the platter before setting it down. “Thanks!” Evan said, beginning to chow down on his dinner. I had mistaken Evan’s school for daycare at first, surprised that he was 9 and not 4 or 5.

  
“No prob, Bob,” I ruffled his hair and scooped myself a plate. “Your routine,” Clara started again, “Is to just fly around the city to make sure that everyone’s safe and out of trouble.” I nodded to myself, until I fully understood what she said. ‘Wait, fly?!? How do I fly?’  
“With my helps, and no serum needed in fact. You are able to levitate. Levitate and have heightened senses, not to mention strength. But with the serum, you can transform into any known superhero of this universe. Either your own form of them, or their form. It’ll hurt either way.” ‘Hurt?’ I was not briefed to earlier that the transformation would hurt.

  
“Serum is injected to change your appearance. Of course it’s going to bloody hurt. Don’t be a wuss now,” she insisted. I rolled my eyes. ‘A robot can sass me. What has the world come to.’ I wanted to see her face, imagining furrowing brows and thin lips pulled into a frown. “I dunno, but it’s apparently worth saving,” she shot back. (SHOTS FIREDDD)

  
I almost choked on the rice and vegetables from her comment. I quickly fed myself and dumped the rest of the dinner down the garbage can (once I could find it,) and rinsed the plates from dinner. I left out the rice and vegetables on the stove in case my parents wanted to eat. After the dishes from dinner, I walked into the small hallway where I could see Evan playing on his little tablet where two cartoon superheroes were under attack by Captain Dinosaur. He turned the tablet off and played with the action figures that were starred in the show. I relished the memory of once being little and able to play with dolls and action figures without the responsibilities of life. I sighed and turned to my bedroom.

  
I didn’t realize how stressed a superhero’s life could be. I didn’t even know what my potential was, so the only wise thing to do in my room was to question Clara. This time, I wouldn’t have to think everything, and she’d be able to respond out loud. My sand-colored room held just a few rays of light from the setting sun, and I sat in the chair that faced the desk. ‘Let’s do this,’ I thought.

  
“Alright. Now what questions would you like to ask me?” Clara said, intrigued that I wanted to know what and how to deal with her. I pushed a strand of hair that was dangling in front of my face and started the 20 Questions.

  
“Is Thor real?” I received a tone of ‘wow-you-should-know-this’, saying, “Of course he is. He’s in the Avengers, isn’t he?” I rolled my eyes and twiddled my thumbs, racking my brain for questions. “Is Spider-Gwen real?” I did NOT want to deal with a Spider-Gwen to be jealous of my power, or not understanding of my powers.  
Thankfully Clara responded quickly. “Oh Gods no! Different dimension. But you can turn into your own version of her.” I raised my eyebrows and silently thanked the Gods for keeping Spider-Gwen out of the way.

  
I continued to think and interview Clara until I got some good questions to ask. “Where is Loki? And what happened to Odin?” Silence occurred for a few second, I guess Clara had to think. I stared at the blank computer monitor for an eternity until Clara gave me a valid answer. I came up with scenarios, like if Odin had another coma, or if he died, and Loki was actually Odin in the first place since the beginning and the dead Loki was supposedly someone else, or just a clone of himself…

  
“Loki is on the throne of Asgard, disguised as Odin the All-father. The true Odin is in an unknown location that I cannot disclose to you. Confidential for now, sorry.” ‘I know where he is though... He's in Norway.’ I thought, and snapped my finger with a defeated voice of, "Dang." Clara sighed, and said, "You know I can read your thoughts." I stayed quiet for a moment, listening to Evan who was playing with his Iron Man and Hulk action figures.

  
“Pew pew! Stand down Hulk. Woosh! I don’t wanna hurt you big guy! HULK SMASH!” Evan transitioned his voice to deep growl and a shattering Lego structure could be heard right after. I snickered and imagined the scenario in my head.

  
“Bella! Hellooo? Any other questions?” I made the “Thinker” statue position and thought for a minute. ‘What happened to Pepper Potts? Where’s Captain America? Where is the Hulk? Are Bucky and Black Widow a thing?’ I gave her too many questions, only to be bombarded with vague answers. I know Tony had broken up with Pepper, Cap is running from the United Nations, the Hulk went missing, but is sure to be alive. The only real answer I got was,  
“No! Why would they even be a couple in the first place? Bucky’s in permafrost, and Natasha probably still has a thing for the Hulk. I mean Bruce Banner. Whatever.” I didn’t care who hooked up with who, but I honestly thought they would make a cute couple. Who knows.

I surfed the web, drew a little, and played with the alien watch on my wrist. It turns out, Ben 10 had gotten the idea from  _this_ watch. It had a touchscreen, and I could select the option between the real superhero or my version. 

"Tonight, let's take it easy. No more transformations, just the basic training." I sighed and leaned back on the chair, turning to face the window. The sun was close to setting with 7:20 pm on the clock. My parents wouldn't get home until 10, so I explored the costume that Clara gave me, telling me that it was in a small locked compartment. It was very skin tight like every other suit I had seen, but nothing could ever top off how badass Deadpool looked in his suit. It fit tightly around my body, giving the image that I had been working out. It felt like wearing leggings and light armour but I'd have to get used to twirling and jumping in a tight suit. I could not work in boots.

Clara brushed off the criticism as ungratefulness. "You realize that I can find someone just as worthy. You are easily replaceable." I scoffed and pretended to be hurt. "Wow, I'm not good enough for you?" Thinking that she might actually leave, I quickly apologized and stopped commenting. 

"Sorry, sorry! I'm stupid and an idiot. I don't mean half of the rude things I say!" I heard a chuckle as I buried my head into my arms on the desk, the warm fabric of my shirt rubbing against my cheeks. Clara's voice transitioned into a British male. "Put your face between two slices of bread and what do you get? An idiot sandwich," he spat rudely but his voice transitioned back into Clara's normal, bubbly female voice.

"Wow," was all I could say. I just laughed and shook my head, lifting it our of my arms. I stretched and yawned, ready for night-watch duty. But, as soon as my parents walked into the apartment, their interest was in me and hearing about my first day of school in Queens. I sighed, and quickly changed back into my day clothes, stuffing the costume back into the compartment. It was going to be a long night.


	7. Superhero of the Night

I wanted to spend ten to fifteen minutes with my parents before showering and practicing my skills, but they were extremely talkative. Sure, I learned more about them; that they were scientists that worked with biochemistry and they loved showing tourists their work despite its secrecy. But throughout their talk, I was to expect daily checkups from them about how school is going, and to listen about their progress of their experiments. I hadn't been too interested in listening when they arrived home and insisted that I talk with them in the kitchen area on the table.

But after an hour of explaining the similarities between a numbered chromosome in our body, and one in a mouse, the talk turned into a lecture. "Mom, I'm going to shower and head for bed, okay?" The mom stopped talking all together and gave the facial expression of a deer in the headlights. But then her face softened and her light brown hair glistened in the soft light. It was pulled in a tight bun, but it still looked nothing like my thick, dark brown hair. She sighed and said,

"I know it's your first day, Bella. But you should make friends. Please, it'll do you some good, okay?" I glanced between the parents and gave a fake smile. "Sure, Mom." I stood up from the chair and pushed it back in, being careful not to make the bottoms drag against the floor to make a screeching sound. I didn't want to wake Evan up, in case he was sleeping. I quick gave my mom a hug and ran to my room.

I grabbed my pajamas off of my dresser, snatched a clean pair of underwear after scouring the drawers, and entered the bathroom. I made sure to wash off any dirt, but hurried out so that I could have time to practice and learn from the watch's abilities. I didn't question how two to three hours of sleep could not be detrimental to me, but instead dried off and got ready to pretend to go to bed. "Going to bed, gnight'!"

I heard my mom chuckle and footsteps degrade until a door closed and the lock of the parent's bedroom clicked. I was surprised I heard it, but didn't question it. I heard a squeak from Clara and turned back to face my bedroom. "So," Clara began, "Geronimo?" I smiled and began to strip from my pajamas. I smirked as I clipped on my mask and stood up, posing for an invisible camera. "Let's get ready to rumble." I switched off the light for the night. My fists clenched and I popped open the window quietly to which the fire escape gladly took my body weight.

I closed the window and faced the street, looking down from the sixth floor. Sure, I was afraid of heights but  _this_ was too awesome to hyperventilate about. Clara planted an objective in my mind, to which I gladly took and began to escalate the rickety stairs. Horns from night drivers blared in the distance and cars looked as big as ants from the rooftop view. While they were inching their way of the ground, I scaled apartment buildings as if it was nothing. I had never rock climbed before but the gear on my gloves gave my fingers the resilience to stick to any surface.

Once I had decided a twelve-story building was enough to start the flying process. Clara's physical image scared the bejeezus out of me. The projection was born out of thin air, and I nearly tumbled off of the roof. "You're gonna kill me one of these days, Clara." However, Clara's projection didn't last very long, and was soon replaced by a tall middle-aged man with rectangular glasses and an older expression on his face.

For those who haven't seen The Flash, I was facing the one, the only Dr. Wells who had knowledge on theories and things like this. I gaped, my heart dropped to my toes. He was not in the right universe, DC owned Doctor Harrison Wells, not Marvel Studios. His normal, nerdy sweater over top a collared shirt had begun to fade which made me disappointed that he might leave soon.

"Listen, Bella. You learn how to manipulate the air space around you to levitate, and your powers will keep you from losing this image of me. If Barry Allen can time travel, you can levitate, okay?" I nodded profusely to the fading scientist and scrunched me eyes shut, focusing on my feet. But nothing was happening. I sighed and tried again, to put all of the power into my feet. After a minute, I began to lose hope and Doctor Wells began to grow impatient. "Concentrate! Picture the air lifting you off your feet as if you're floating down in a parachute!" His teeth grinded and my interaction with him was becoming sour every minute. I understood why Barry always yelled at him. I sighed and clenched my fists again until they turned white.

"I can't do it!" I cried, just as frustrated as the curly haired scientist. However, I opened my eyes and saw no Harrison Wells before me. Instead, two hands pushed me off of the side of the balcony and the ground beneath me vanished as I fell to what I assumed was my imminent death. I screamed and fell for a few seconds, air rushing past me along with apartment windows. I never got to truly befriend Peter, and I never got to use these powers for good!

Right as I reached the pavement, my body jerked up and the speed stopped. I wasn't a human bug that went splat on the sidewalk bu instead began to hover about a foot off of the ground. I stopped screaming and looked around the street. It was empty from pedestrians but the cars whizzing by me didn't take one look in my direction. Besides, a large black SUV had been in front of me that blocked many cars from seeing me.

"Holy shit!" I yelled, and stumbled on thin air as if I was walking on a tight rope. I began to lose balance and once I did, my body was propelled through the air and I flew higher into the sky. I felt like a human missile, but I was very happy that this was working. I whooped and hollered, throwing the Superman pose a few times in the air until I was so high that many of the buildings were just the size of Popsicle sticks. The scenery below was so breathtaking that I didn't look up in case I fell again and wouldn't be able to save myself.

I heard a voice ringing in my my ears congratulating me on not killing myself. Boy, I was more than slightly pissed  but that at least taught me to try and take a 'leap' of faith. "Well done, Bella! Seems that you're not just levitating, but soaring to new heights! Now I want you to follow the map I'm giving you through your technical optical lenses. We're going to circle the Avengers Tower and then head back. Don't get caught by surveillance, in case Iron Man is near." Doctor Well's clear instructions kept me on my toes despite having no ground to stand on. "It'll take a few hours. So I've set up your 'Classic songs' playlist for you."

I nodded and kept my eyes on the destination ahead. "Thanks, Doc!" I said, as soon as 'Hooked on a Feeling' by Blue Suede began to play. Having music to play without headphones or a phone was a plus to Clara and this watch. The long flight included a dry mouth, a good view, but non-stop wind in my face. By the time I had flown to New York City, I was out of breath and very tired. It was 1 in the morning after all.  Neither Clara or Wells let me fly back that night, mainly because I was so tired that night. I had to keep a watchful eye of the Tower and that I had to have a voice vibrator to conceal my identity.

"Okay you'll feel a pinch. Let's engage the first transformation. Go!" After those words, a needle was jammed into my wrist, and a slight dosage of serum was injected into my bloodstream. I cringed and grabbed my wrist, my body feeling like it was internally breaking down for a few seconds. My eyes squeezed shut and the control over my flight began to falter. "Couldn't you have done it when I landed?" I yelled, groaning from the immense pain in my body. But quickly, it all faded and nothing seemed to change until I spoke again.

"Wells, I'm gonna land," now sounded like my vocal chords went through a forever-moving tunnel. "Woah." I laughed as I heard myself, and tapped on my throat. It was violently vibrating and I couldn't feel any of the vibration until I touched it again. As I landed I smiled and gazed around the glowing city. The city was just as vibrant as daylight traffic. Horns blared, and the only thing different from my New York City was the large modern Avengers tower that was mainly pitch black except for the large 'A' symbol on the side of the skyscraper. I wouldn't dare go near the building and be blown up by Vision or Iron Man on sight. Iron Man was the more 'shoot first, ask questions later' type of man. He was the last person I wanted to meet at the moment.  Then again, the Avengers were probably in their new facility.

I crouched on the building rooftop and admired the view until Harrison Wells came back onto the intercom. "There are going to be patrolers everywhere. Keep an eye and ear out. You're in the city with the most Marvel superheroes on the planet. Maybe the universe." I nodded and took a 360* scout just in case anyone had been in the shadows. I hadn't seen any moving shadows or shadows that didn't belong, so I continued to jump from building top to building top.

I had never felt more liberated that night, to be able to hang out on the rooftops of New York City without a curfew. I crouched on a lower building and looked down to the busy street lit by the lamps and the brake lights of stopped cars. A new superhero was born that night, crawling out of Queens but was nothing like Spider-Man. I was out to set my own destiny and no one could stop me. The tired people of New York made their way down the streets with a fixed destination in their mind. It was loud and busy, but watching it was interesting. Until of course I had to step in. 


	8. The First Mini Mission

A silver Honda Civic made its way through many stop lights, understandable why the driver had to get so mad. I found nothing interesting after an hour watching the cars go by, so I figured a bridge sight to look down upon would be more enjoyable. I was right. The Brooklyn Bridge was full of traffic until around two in the morning when the occasional cars drove by. It was a beautiful view, until I began to see some rage between a Honda Civic driver and a Chevy Malibu driver.

The Civic man was tired, obvious signs of unhygienic demeanor and an angry expression with the means of teaching someone a lesson. The Malibu had cut him off earlier and refused to be passed. I began to slide down one of the wires and tried my best not to freak out or fall down the steep drop into the New York Bay. The Malibu woman stepped out of her car, ready to give him a piece of her mind. But she didn't know he carried a gun.

I quickly registered that the man had a gun once he began to aim it at the woman with the barrel at her back. I jumped down the rest of the way down. My fall was broken by the air halting my land on the bridge and quickly let go. I ran to the tall man who began to shout obscenities and pointed the gun at the blonde who didn't see the gun yet. 

Two very pissed drivers and one gun made a dangerous scene. When my legs couldn't run any faster, I still tried to catch up to the bearded man and dove at him. The man didn't see me due to his back facing me, so I knocked him to the ground and stepped on his hand. I could hear bones crack, and a cry followed his letting go of the gun. Men and women stepped out of their cars and approached the scene. I grabbed the black handgun and emptied it of its contents into my palm.

The new bullets were thrown into the bay in hopes that no one could take advantage of the situation. People rushed to the man and pushed him to the ground while the blonde woman was going into shock about an attempted murder. I approached her slowly as police sirens wailed in the distance, traffic coming to a complete stop on the bridge. The woman began to cry, guilt rushing through her like an open tap. I walked beside her and dropped the gun, coming in peace.

"I-I don't know what I was thinking! One moment I was fine, the next I wanted to pick a fight with the biggest man in the nearest car!" She stopped talking and hid her  face in her hands, her wavy golden hair blowing in the wind. I placed a hand on her shoulder gently just in case she still had some anger in her.

"It's alright, Ma'am. You're safe now." I said quietly, looking to the men who kept down the Civic driver. Instead of thrashing, the man was also crying. Tears rolled down his face and he weeped as if he had just killed a man and regretted every single second of it. "What's going on? Please let go of me! I don't know what's happening, I didn't do anything wrong!" I frowned and strode to where the bearded gunman had pinned by all four limbs, and tears streaming down his face. I stepped over his arm and looked him in the face.

"You almost killed a woman," I stated, voice vibrating. "Ma'am I didn't do anythin', I don't know how I got here!" Even Wells was baffled, because all signs were saying that he was telling the truth. "Coping mechanism? Short-term memory loss?" I asked through the link. I didn't have to say my understanding aloud for Harry to hear it, but it was better if I said it. No one gave their input, not Harry, not Clara, not even a Benedict Cumberbatch voice. I sighed and told the men to help him up. 

"Keep him here until the authorities arrive," I said, to which the men nodded and pulled him to his feet. Perhaps he was like Kevin Crumb from Split, but the blonde's guilty conscience came to mind. I'd have to write the situation down and log it for later. "Thank you," I told the men. The woman continued to cry and looked at me with tears glistening in her eyes. I have her a sympathetic look and flew off, the air manipulation making me feel like Superman. People wowed and cheered up at me, amazed that they saw a new superhero for the first time, this time a super heroine. When I looked down on the Brooklyn bridge, I spotted a red Mini Cooper speeding away. It was the only car that was still traveling after the accident. It wasn't too far off either, but I paid it no attention that night. Daylight would be soon upon me and I worried that my parents noticed my absence.

One thing was for sure that night, I was a super heroine. Whether I was as powerful as Thor or useless as Doorman was up to me. People did notice me despite Harry's warning of staying in the shadows, and the ride home was a long *long* lecture about how could have handled the situation better. I regretted only having two more hours to sleep.


	9. Penis Parker

The rest of the way home was a blur of city lights and sleeping. The next thing I knew, my alarm clock was going off for 5:30 and I was hopping out of bed like it was the last day of school. My watch was still secured on my right wrist, and school was awaiting. I brushed my teeth and sighed, pausing for a moment to look at myself in the mirror. Who was I and what was my destiny here? I was to play no part in Peter's rise to the top, I knew that for sure. He had to find out on his own who the Vulture is, and what his intentions are. I knew one things was for sure: I had to get my way into the Academic Decathlon.

In a pair of jeans and a white shirt with a beige cardigan, I rocked the fashion trend and actually liked it for once. My dad dropped me off at school again, already getting tired of transporting his daughter to school. It was too long for me to walk because he didn't want me getting kidnapped. I didn't disagree but I didn't agree, I could hold my own in a fight. I also had Clara and Harry on my side so any compromising situation would turn me into a superhero or something. I still had a lot to learn.

"Enjoy school! Find a club or something to do. And find a friend that lives nearby, maybe you can take the train to school together," my dad said, as I stepped out of his Ford Taurus. I nodded and waived, before sprinting away from him. I didn't want anyone to see me being dropped off by my daddy, especially Flash Thompson. I climbed the stairs yet again with my brown boots clicking against the stone in the cloudy school courtyard. I heard a familiar voice call out something behind me that oddly reminded me of something. But that voice wasn't pleasant  _at all_.

"Hey, Penis Parker!" Flash yelled loudly for all to hear, and to his success everyone in the courtyard laughed. Except for Peter and I. I heard him call Peter that name and he would again in the future, but I knew I wouldn't handle it for long. I thought that 'Fleshlight Thompson' was no match for 'Penis Parker' but I wanted to wait. I snapped my head around to see Peter sigh and climb the stairs with his eyes on the ground.

"Hey Peter!" I yelled, loud enough to get his attention away from Flash and the brutal bystanders. He jerked his head up and looked at me with eyes that read  _'Help me'_. I stopped and waited for him to catch up, and had my left hand clutching my backpack strap. He knew I heard Flash bullying him, so I approached him and tried to get his mind off things. "I'll bet Flash just picks on you because you're smarter than him and you have real friends like Ned and I. I'm your friend, right?" It seemed like eternity to have Peter fully respond to my question and I interrupted his stuttering and uh's with a grin. "Well friends trade each other's cell phone numbers, so let me give you mine." I internally freaked to Clara because I didn't know this universe's cell phone number, and if it was the same. 

Let's say I didn't have to freak long because she gave me the number to repeat to Peter. Pete scrambled to put it in his phone and I giggled at how cute his awkwardness was making him. I had no idea where my locker was, and I had no purpose for it at the moment so I followed Peter to his locker. I walked next to him and watched the TV screen where the morning announcements about Homecoming were playing. I felt like the awkward one. But thankfully as I waited for Peter to finish getting whatever he needed at his locker, Ned showed up. 

I grinned and stepped back quietly out of Peter's vision so that Ned could scare his friend. He pulled a small Emperor Palpatine Lego mini figure out of his pocket and held it above Peter's shoulder. "Join me, and together we'll-" Ned's voice transitioned to his normal peppy voice, "build my new Lego Death Star!" Peter jumped at first but smiled straight after, appreciating the built-in Star Wars line and the fact that his best friend finally got the $400 toy that all kids wished to have. 

"What?" Peter gasped, his reaction far more intersted than the group of cheerleaders next to us. "So lame," I heard one say. "Does it come with the  _nice robots_?" Ned smiled and nodded, glad that I was also a Star Wars fan. "Ned that's so awesome! How many pieces?" Ned's toothy grin only excited us more. "Three thousand, eight hundred and three!" I laughed and looked to Peter. "That's insane!" Peter said.

Ned, knowing that he was the caring and sharing type got a great idea. "I know! Wanna build it tonight?" He looked at both Peter and I, to which I was surprised that he'd ask me. "Me too?" I asked, grateful that Ned would already include me. Ned nodded and I side hugged him. "Sure!" But Peter's response tore both of us down. He lost his smile and had his excuse already lined up like an assembly line. "I can't tonight, I got the Stark Internship." Ned frowned and gave Peter sad eyes as we began to walk to our classes. I had math with Ned, not Peter this morning. "Come on man! It'll be a good icebreaker to get to know Bella! Can't you miss one day?" Peter continued on about his 'internship' which was really just saving people from thieves and stopping a few robberies.

I acted surprised that he had an internship with Tony. I had yet to meet him in my Jade Hawk getup. "Wow, that's great Peter! It'll look great on your college admissions. Congrats! Stark's a big man!" I heard Ned laugh and Peter huff. I wanted to banter back to my comment that he was a big asshole most of the time, but my mouth kept shut. "Yeah, maybe soon it'll be a job, I can't miss a day!"

Ned daydreamed of what it was like having a job. I had a job once back on my Earth as a secretary at the pool. Not fun. "That would be so sweet! 'Good job, Parker. Fill out those spreadsheets. Here's a gold coin!' I added quickly. "When you work for Tony Stark." Ned and I stopped at the hallway that Peter would separate, and we quickly finished our conversation. "Oh well I'll build the basic bones at my place, and I'll come by after you finish work so we can work on it together. Maybe we can finish it tonight!" 

When Ned said 'together' Peter completely zoned out and stared at Liz as if she won Miss America last night. "Wanna help me on the bones, Bella?" I turned to Ned and smiled. "Sure! Let me text my mom and let her know that I'll be at your place after school. Mom can probably pick up my little brother." We fist bumped and I gave him my number as Peter continued to drool and stare at Liz Allan.

Peter pretended that he knew what was going on and said, "Yeah, that'd be great." I nodded and made my way down to our classroom, bidding our farewells to Peter for a period as we pushed through the hoards of students in the high school. I hoped Peter would eventually pay attention of me instead of hanging his head or ogling his crush.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you guys have any better insults for Flash Thompson? Please comment below!


	10. Why Must School Be So Long

Peter just couldn't focus today. Whether it was hoping to get in touch with Happy Hogan or just math, first period was dragging on like an old donkey with a limp. As the teacher game an example problem on the board, Peter watched himself as Spider-Man in action in Germany, anonymously posted on YouTube (which in reality was him). "Okay, so how do we calculate linear acceleration between points A and B?" The teacher looked for a volunteer, to which the one and only Flash Thompson jerked his hand high with a very confident answer just waiting to be spilled. 

"Flash?" She called out. "If the product of sin of the angle divide by mass," he said triumphantly, awaiting to be awarded. However to his surprise, the teacher shook her head and passed onto the next victim of answering the question. "Nope! Peter, you still with us?" The teacher called out, assuming that Peter was sleeping by the way he was sitting. He had his head on top of his arms that were on the table, certainly not comfortable but good enough to shrink away from the classroom.

Peter shot up and pulled out his earbuds. "Uh, uh, yeah yeah!" He looked at the problem and quickly blurted an answer. "Um, um, mass cancels out so it's just gravity times sin." The teacher smiled and nodded. "Right, see Flash, being  _fastest_   isn't always the best, especially if you are wrong." The class laughed, embarrassing Flash for once. Peter wanted to smile but quickly saw that Flash was glaring at him, boring holes into Peter's head. He knew he'd get the nerd back, he was sure of it. But for now, he just had to endure it and swung his big nose back to the front of the classroom.

Peter looked to the clock impatiently, waiting for the next period to arrive. He too, almost made a hole into the clock during chemistry with me while we worked in the chem lab. It was as if he had a secret obsession of watching the second hand move. He was secretly (or at least trying to be secret while) creating something in the bottom drawer of the lab desk and poured an orange liquid into a glass beaker that contained a bubbly clear fluid. I pretended not to notice the small reaction in the wooden cabinet as he made another batch of Spider webbing. I was intrigued what chemicals he had been mixing, looking at his precision as the teacher started to lecture.

"Today we're going to be talking about-" I drowned out the teacher as Peter pulled back the glass stirrer which was covered in webbing. I couldn't take it, I wanted to know the process but I had to be discrete. I couldn't blow my cover now. "Peter, need help?"

Peter sprang up from his seat and I was surprised that the class didn't go silent. Peter pulled out a pencil from his pocket and pretended that he had been picking it up. "No, no. I'm good. Just dropped this." He moved the pencil in his hand and quietly closed the drawer with his foot. Though we were lab partners, I felt like he only talked to me that period twice minus the pencil excuse.

~ ~ ~ ~

Lunch slithered by and I pulled out the lunch that my mom had packed. I didn't mention to either of the boys who made the lunch. They were too busy arguing on whether or not Liz got a new top. Liz hung another Homecoming poster on a cafeteria wall and placed it right over the lunch clock.

None of the boys were eating. "Did Liz get a new top?" Peter asked, curious if he was the only one who noticed a switched-up in Liz Allen's wardrobe. The boys only knew me for two days, but it felt to me that I knew them for a lot longer.

"No," Ned replied, "She hasn't worn it with that skirt though." I rolled my eyes and fakely asked, "Is she popular girl?" Peter smiled and responded to my question while still crushing over Liz. "She's a senior that's participating in almost every club." He paused and finally took his eyes off of the girl. His signature line rolled off his tongue without hesitation. "Probably should stop staring before it gets creepy though." The boys were staring at Liz for at least a full minute, not to mention the three minute conversation about Liz's skirt.

"Too late." Both Michele and I said, synchronized. I think many other students would agree that both boys had an unhealthy obsession with Liz Allen. I may have been obsessed with Marvel Superheroes, but I never cared whether Thor was wearing a different cape. I laughed at our timing, and looked to Michele who just gave the smallest of smirks. Michele was freaking awesome, she told the truth no matter how blunt, and I loved her for that.

"You guys are losers," she said as she gestured to Ned and Peter, but not me. I was glad she hadn't judged me yet and didn't make any blunt judgements yet. Ned, who was slightly hurt due to being a big teddy bear, retorted back to Michele. "Then why do you sit with us?"

Michele turned back to her book and any trace of emotion was wiped from her face. "Because I don't have any friends."Ned knew he regretted saying what he did, but he didn't apologize. Man, the kids at this school all had cold hearts. Either that, or they didn't have any manners.

Michele brushed her curly side bangs out of her face and I could tell she wanted someone to talk to. She had been staring at that page for ten minutes, probably rereading the same sentence over again. So, I did what I thought best: give out history fun facts.

"Hey, did you know that only tow people signed the Declaration of Independence-" Michele put her book down, smiled, and finished my sentence. "On July 4th! The rest of the founding fathers signed them on August 2nd." She paused and smiled. I finally got her to open up just a smidge that day.

"You're pretty chill even though you hang out with those losers." I could tell that she was a little envious that Ned and Peter got together like two peas in a pod, but then again, so was I. We were all queasy and about to throw up whatever we had ten minutes earlier because of the horrible stench of what smelled like rotten meat and upchuck. I don't remember if someone threw up in the garbage can near us, but I was on the verge of gagging. We all were.

"You like history?" Michele asked, before returning to her book. I nodded and gave a rosy grin. "I'd rather know the truth of how world governments came to be than the simple facts that elementary school teachers tell kids." For a moment, we clicked and I understood why both Michele and I preferred to have a small amount of friends. The niche, no matter how small, was important to us outcasts.

"If you like to know more than what you know now, join us at today's Decathelon meeting. If you have questions, ask them." She pointed to Ned and Peter who looked quite confused. I smiled and watched Michele as she stood up, grabbed all of her belongings and left. A few seconds later, the shrill sound of the school bell rang which meant that lunch period was finished, and study hall for Peter and I was about to start. Ned stuffed whatever fries he had from lunch and threw everything out, rushing behind Peter and I. I wanted to make sure that I had enough time to draw something new, perhaps even coming up with the logo for my costume. (which was still to be determined.)

 

 


	11. Decathelon Meeting

The highlight of the study hall was being able to talk to Peter in person, and not creeping over his shoulder as he tried to sneakily make his spider web. While he and I debated who was better (Cap or Iron Man), I wanted to show him the results of Civil War, and the footage I had. Instead, I told Peter that Captain America was only going against it because he knew that the government would abuse their power. Sadly, I didn't mention that Tony only agreed to sign it because of the absurd decisions that he made in the past, hoping signing this would put himself on good terms with Pepper Potts. (and that it did. <3)  
History, of course was one of the only interesting classes. Ironically, Michele and I shared the class together and I helped her to correct Mr. Harrington every time he stated a factually incorrect event. "No Mr. Harrington, the Liberty Bell myth that had cracked on July 4th, 1776 is not a fact because it actually was the State House Bell and had actually cracked in 1752. When you visit the bell today, the large crack in it was made in the 1840s. The book that you outlined from must be wrong." Mr. Harrington looked at us with a confused goldfish look and double checked the compiled facts online.

He glanced up and nodded sheepishly, "I stand corrected. Thank you, you two." I held my hand up for Michele, and we both high-fived like some badass bosses. He was a young teacher, probably in his early thirties with a love for history, but a problem with the facts.

He was a sheepish teacher who stuck to the books and even historian novels, no cross references or _real_ teaching. Then again, the school revolved around the sciences and technologies, not humanities. However, for the rest of class he had taught everything else historically correct. Clara was quick to telepathically chastise me, which could be the weirdest thing to ever describe. Sitting next to Michele, I furiously took notes only to occasionally pause to see what information was correct.

Suddenly a voice interrupted my train of thought and screamed in my ear, "Bella! It's history! It's not that important! Focus on the stupid club next block, not on this! Amateur." I jumped from her sudden outburst and dropped my pencil. Michele snickered at me and slyly asked, "Did you just have a heart attack?" I laughed softly and embarrassingly responded, "Thought I felt something in my shoe." I leaned under the desk and pretended to scratch my leg.

Michele snickered at my half seizure and I heard Clara say, "She's catching onto you, you know. Just like she will to Peter in the future." Her singsong-like voice made me roll my eyes as I sat up and straightened my back. "Shut up," I mumbled to my 'imaginary friend'. Michele raised her eyebrows, even more suspicious about my behavior. I cleared my throat and tried to smoothly reword my muttering mouth's mistake.

I looked to Michele and calmly explained, "I said 'stupid sock'. I, uh, mumble a lot." Michele stretched her mouth into a thin line as if I was pushing the boundaries of our blossoming relationship. Eventually, I grew used to Clara's constant scarings and I was able to make it to clubs. Michele guided me through the overlycrowded hallways and to the large meeting room. Of course, the same teacher that I had the block before, had rushed out and raced us to the Triathelon Meeting. To his demise, Michele and I strolled in just mere seconds before he forcefully pushed open the door. His entrance signaled for the meeting to start.

Liz, who had already been in the room most likely before everyone, stood up in her golden yellow Triathelon blazer. Peter, Liz, MJ, Flash, and Ned were the familiar faces in the room. She and I locked eyes, her chocolate brown pupils watching my honey ones. I could almost hear Peter's thumping heart as he too watched Liz's elegant body. In fact, I could hear his heart faintly but very rapidly beating.

Liz walked towards me and smiled, her large lips shining in the light, a small tube of lip gloss in her blue miniskirt. She was ethereal as she lingered in the sunlight, basking in pure sex and power. "Hi, you're new here, right? I'm Liz. I've seen you around with Peter and Ned." I couldn't help but also smile, more awkwardly as I didn't know what to say.

"Bella. I've heard a lot of good things about the Triathlon. When can I start? Or is it too late?" Obviously I knew that Peter was close to dropping out of the club, so I was hoping to outsmart everyone to make it to Washington, D.C. Liz smiled even more sweetly, nearly making Peter and Ned melt.

"Well, we need last year's grades and a short paragraph why you want to join. For now," she gestured to the stage where three students sat, behind a table where three unknown students and Ned, sat behind a table where four bells were laid out.

"We are starting a simulation so that when we compete, we'll understand the format." I nodded understandingly and said, "I'll watch." I sat at the table next to Peter and Mr. Harrington, laying my backpack underneath my chair.

I flattened my beige cardigan under my butt and pulled my phone out. Ned was watching Liz coordinate the simulation, ready to pounce on every question she dished out. "Next question," Liz stated, with her body ever so slightly swaying. "What is the heaviest naturally occurring element?" She placed the notecard on the podium, underneath the microphone.

Ned's hand hovered over the bell, but the student next to him slammed his hand on the bell first. Competition was high despite the lack there of. "Hydrogen is the lightest. That's not the question. Okay." His nervous smile faded. The other boy in a white collared shirt and striped blue tie picked up the question, tapping his hand on the golden bell. "Uranium." Liz smiled, and her voice grew higher as she congratulated the student like he was 5. "That is correct! Thank you, Abraham." Abraham smiled and celebrated quietly.

"Please open your books on page ten," she continued. Mr. Harrington turned to Peter, disregarding my and the practice team's existence. My eyes were on the stage but my ears were on the conversation next to me. You could tell that it was important when he took his eyes off of Liz and onto Peter.

"Peter, it's nationals. Is there no way that you can take a week off?" His tone of voice sounded both concerned and demanding. Peter gesticulated with his hands as he began to further lie about his "Stark Internship" which was basically his excuse to fight petty crime. "I can't go to Washington because if Mr. Stark needs me, I have to be there." Flash, who took up the space of two chairs, one for his rich toosh and the other for his probably manicured feet decided to speak up.

"You've never been in the same room as Tony Stark," he said as he looked up from his magazine. The only girl on the table next to Ned, interjected, confused. "Wait, what's happening?" Another girl on the ground with her feet up in the air as she was writing in pink sharpie called out, "Peter's not going to Nationals." The first girl began to freak out. "No, n-no." She looked like she was going to have a fit.

Abe rang the bell before he spoke. "Why not?" Liz, also disappointed as the rest, asked, "Really? Right before Nationals?" Her and Peter exchanged glances before Michele pointed out, "You already quit band and robotics club." All eyes turned to her as she looked up at the faces. It was slightly strange that she knew so much about him. She kept a straight face, hiding her embarrassed expression behind a poker face and a shrug. "I'm not obsessed with him, I'm just very observant." I looked to Liz who was shocked about Peter's lack of commitment.

Liz turned around to face Flash and I. "Flash, either you or Bella are in for Peter." She rolled her sleeves up. Flash nonchalantly shrugged and continued to read. "Ooh, I don't know." He paused so that everyone could have their attention on him. "I gotta check my calendar first because I've got a hot date with Black Widow comin' up." Abe range the bell and responded, "That is false." A tiny voice in Natasha's vocals noted, "I'd never date a scrawny kind like that, please." I smirked and shook my head at the bully. Abe rang the bell, and followed and shook my head at the bully. Mr. Harrington looked to be fuming smoke out of his ears. He too, didn't want Peter to leave.

"What did I say about ringing the bell for comedic purposes?" It almost felt like I was deja vu itself: living the things I've seen on the screen. The surreal moment made me pause and realize how important I was and insignificant to the entire destiny of the Avengers. I was walking on eggshells and there was no going back. I could screw up the entire destiny of the Avengers or I could implement myself in a way that I was helpful while still allowing the events I knew to coexist with me.


	12. Reboot

When the school finally let us out, the sweet shrill of the programmed bell was music to my ears. Teens pushed their way out of all available exits, ready to relax and chill until the next school day. I followed Ned who waved goodbye to Peter, who mysteriously disappeared to go swing from buildings and eat churros. I really wanted to hang out with Ned, but I knew that being the "new girl" put an obligation on the boys to be nice and invite me to whatever they were doing. Clara also might have threatened me with an exposure of identity of "sending me back" if I didn't decline his offer. It's not like I wanted to know that Peter Parker was Spider-Man... My backpack was heavier than expected by the end of the day, and my body weight shifted every times I tripped or bumped into someone.

The fresh, cool air hit my face and refreshed my lungs as we stepped outside. I could smell the wafting fragrance of the hot dog stand at the corner of the street, but my stomach didn't react in hunger. So, I turned my attention elsewhere. The fluffy clouds waved as they passed by, but our ears were welcomed with New York traffic. So serene. Ned had his left hand on a backpack strap and his other hand hanging by his side. We both walked down the steps and stood next to him as we chatted.

"Do you think your parents will be okay with coming over tonight?" I looked to him and pulled out my phone, motioning to it. I could feel his aura descend into disappointment the more I was talking. "My mom wants to take my brother and I for a walk around New York." Ned nodded and shrugged, but I could feel in my bones, somehow he was disappointed despite his inner obligation to invite me because I was new. He didn't have any close friends except for Peter, but currently I was living as a stalker. My existence was unimportant so far, and I was determined to change that, that night.

"Just ask me any time and I- or Pete- can show you around!" There was a pregnant pause between speaking as I looked away, thinking that Peter would have been on the subway by now. I imagined him texting Happy about something before deciding to visit the best sandwiches in Queen's. Ned piped up among the teens that still were making their way through to their homes.

"If you decide to come," he said smoothly, "I'll give you my phone number." He outstretched his hand for me to give him my phone. I hesitantly gave it to him, knowing that if he had pressed the wrong button or opened the wrong app, he might break the 4th wall. We don't want that happening now, do we? He typed slowly and I impatiently waited by glancing at the kids who were engrossed in their phones, or were jamming to music. My thoughts drifted to "That Spidey Life" and as if a little knob turned in my head, the song started playing, and I was tapping my foot to a non-existent beat.

Ned handed back my phone as I stared over his shoulder, my eyes following Gwen Stacy. "Excelsior!" I muttered, and got a confused response from Ned. "I gotta pick my brother up!" I said, louder. He smiled and nodded. So, we bid ado and parted ways for the day. Ned blended into the scattering students as I glanced around, beginning to walk away. My feet didn't get very far when I was tapped on the shoulder by someone. I nearly jumped, and spun around to see Michele and her sulking face turn into a smirk.

 "I like you," she said. I frowned and looked into her eyes. Through her thick eyebrows and squint, I could almost see her soul. It was as if I could grasp it but it would run through my fingers like sand. She was a mystery. I knew Ned, Peter, Tony Stark, but she had a cloud over her soul. I was looking into a mirror. Who was I? This false hope that I was planting in order to justify my existence in that universe? I panicked. "Um, what?" I forced a confused smile as if she had found out my new alter ego. There were a few staggering children exiting the school, but Michelle and I had enough privacy not to be overheard by any select people.

I wasn't too popular yet, so I doubted any superhero noticing me last night. I shifted awkwardly as I maintained eye contact for a moment. "You're not like Ned or Peter. Are you?" I shrugged nonchalantly and responded, "I don't fawn over the Avengers. They have their own agendas, and sometimes they cannot be controlled. Ned and Peter like their freedom, and their on-the-spot "plan". You cannot control what you don't understand."

Michele nodded intently. "Liz is having a party tomorrow. I usually don't go, but I feel extra asshole-like. Wanna join? We can trash the place." I thought for a moment, hearing the echoing words "When I say 'Penis' you say 'Parker' " in my skull, and I resurfaced, nodding. I laughed and said slowly, "Sure," smiling at her tricks. The wind picked up and blew into my face. Michele's curly hair whipped like a pony's tail and for once in my life, I finally woke up out of the stupor of my _perfect_ life and tears began to brew in my eyes. I said goodbye to Michele as fast as I could and walked away.

The tears that almost spilled down my cheeks were not happy, joyful tears. The wind quickly dried my tears as I walked to Evan's school, and my cheeks tingled. I had no doubt they were pink. _Why was I there? What impact on this universe did I have for my being there and not back home?_ I delved deeper and deeper into my thoughts until I became severely depressed. As I looked at the walking pedestrians, I couldn't help but feel sorry for myself.

"Well, at least they're here for a purpose. They have a real role," I thought, and my face contorted into a sneer. I continued to wallow in self-pity, and not even the beautiful sight of the city pulled me out of my stupor. As I passed another pizza shop, ignoring the delicious-smelling cooked cheese aroma, something touched my foot. A chill ran up my spine through all of my nerves and an instinct in my brain wanted me to commit violence. The man who was walking toward me looked so good as a target, to take the purpose out of his life.

With his glasses, combover, and cheap polo, he looked like he was a struggling salesman in the city. The blood in my veins strangely ached for his blood on my hands and to be splattered on the sidewalk. But a little voice in my head said, "Why take a life when you can save one? That would clearly get Tony Stark's attention." With mixed emotions, I just let the man walk past me with no more than an odd glance of my standing in place. I clenched my fists, and the pressure on my foot was relieved, however confusion filled my head. Why did I even have the thought or want to hurt someone? Something didn't feel right, especially the fat that Clara and the watch had not intervened of my almost murder. She hadn't commented since Flash's nonexistent date with Black Widow,

I started to walk again and tried to contact Clara through my thoughts with only the response of looks from passerbys on the street. 'Clara?' I thought impatiently. She was of no use to me at the moment. I couldn't get mad, because I had barely known her. I quickened my pace towards the elementary school, although I really didn't know where I was going because the maps didn't respond. The screen of the green watch was black, I had never seen it do that. I had only seen it act as a watch, almost like a smartwatch.

I stopped at a corner, leaning against the brick building to try and figure out what went wrong. The watch was very delicate and lightweight for its size, so shaking it would not be the best idea. My eyes stared at the stoplight signal as I focused on my breathing and thinking. The crosswalk light counted down until the pedestrians could walk, and I could hear the electronic beep as the end of the wait was nearing. But the beeps slowed down, the aesthetic of my foot tapping to the beat was in discord.

A low rumbling echoed out of the slowed city street sounds. A Kia's high-pitched screech of a horn turned into a long raspy honk. I could hear the low rumbling grow louder, the mixture of a human chuckle and an earthquake shook my bones. The sound of the earth crackling was the only normal sped thing that I could hear. But in a few seconds time, the rumble faded away into a whisper. And fortunately, things resumed to normal. The cars' wheels that spun began to take them places, even the noise pollution was back to normal and it was music to my ears. I continued to walk again, cautiously foot-eye coordination as I kept to my destination.

I was the only one who accompanied my thoughts which surrounded me like an individual cloud of fog around me. With my eyes on Evan's school, I began to pick up the pace and began to nervously pluck at the backpack tassels. When I stopped, I found myself squatting to sit on the cold hard stone steps. I felt uncomfortable, as if I was along in the universe with people I truly didn't know. My sitting stand grew rigid and unwelcoming to Evan when he skipped down the steps.

He didn't say anything, but took my hand and pulled me off my butt onto my feet. His aura was warm, an innocent child in a universe of monsters. I wanted to cry and hold him, but instead his warm little hand helped me through the rest of the walk as I stayed in my thoughts. Clara didn't speak to me, my watch wouldn't turn on strangely. When we entered the apartment, I decided to unpack all of my things to make a list of what I needed to do. As I passed the kitchen table, I glanced at a yellow sticky not on the table top. Evan ran into his room, leaving just the sticky note and I.

 

Won't be home until the early, _early_  morning. I'm sorry, I know I promised both you and Evan that we'd be home on time but we've almost reached a breakthrough. Order Chinese, there's money on the counter.

love, 

Mom & Dad

 

I sighed, and placed the role of caretaker upon my shoulders again. As I snatched the money off of the cold marble counter, my right hand began to vibrate. It was as if I was furiously holding onto an electric toothbrush, it was wildly shaking. I just stood there, lookimg at the symbol appearing on my watch. It vaguely looked like Nighthawk's symbol. 


End file.
